Sherrod Brown revs up volunteers to begin canvassing

Area door-to-door canvassing for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown has kicked into full gear, prompted by Brown’s visit to Toledo on June 30.

Brown spoke to about 40 volunteers and supporters in West Toledo Saturday before they dispersed to canvass.

“Each of you in your school, neighborhood, church, your family, each of you knows more about politics than anybody else you know; and that’s why people will listen to you,” he said to his supporters. “You have more influence than you think you do and that, in the end, will make all the difference in the world.”

Brown said that although state Treasurer Josh Mandel has raised more than $9.5 million from outside groups on attack ads against him, campaign activities such as Saturday’s are a big reason why Brown still leads in the polls.

Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Andrew Zucker said outside groups raised approximately $2 million against Mandel.

According to Quinnipiac University poll released June 27, Brown has a 16-point lead over Mandel, 50-34.

The canvass launch in Toledo is either the third or fourth largest of the 30, Brown said.

Brown said that although unemployment rates in Ohio have improved since 2009, the current rate of 7.3 percent is “nearly not good enough.” He added that the auto rescue helped Ohioans recover.

“You know in this town, probably more than any city in the state, maybe the country, you know what the auto rescue meant,” Brown said. “It’s not jobs at the transition plant in Toledo, it’s not just about the jobs (at Jeep) assembling the Wrangler and the Liberty, it’s Johnson Controls, it’s Magnum, it’s union and non-union plants alike, it’s small companies that feed into the auto supply chain.”

Brown said the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the heart of the Health Care Reform Act will help the lower and middle class citizens who cannot afford health insurance.

“In many ways, the hardest lives are the ones who are making $9-$10 an hour, have jobs and are struggling to get any kind of assistance,” he said. “It really takes care of people who are playing by the rules and doing their best.”

A representative from Mandel’s campaign could not be reached for comment.